If you have been following social media, listening to lunch conversations, or doing some channel surfing, you probably know that "The Bachelor" (and the spin-off, "The Bachelorette") is one of the most watched shows of the moment. So many girls that I've talked to are fans and avid-watchers of the show and will often jump onto tangents about their favorite bachelors, contestants, and moments from the show.
After politely listening for about 10 or 15 minutes (because I am genuinely curious about what people think about the show), I drop the bomb.
I have never seen an episode of "The Bachelor." And I also never plan on it.
I'm usually met with some slack-jawed looks, which is totally understandable. I either look like I live under a rock or I don't like TV. But I can assure you that neither of these are the reason. The reason that I haven't seen an episode of one of TV's most popular shows is not because I don't have access to modern technology or lack a romantic bone in my body. The reason I don't watch the show is that I don't agree with it.
From what I understand about the show, one guy is presented with a group of beautiful women, and through a series of dates, encounters, and roses, somehow manages to pick "the one." Now, I have nothing against romance. But I don't view the show as romance. To me, "The Bachelor" just looks like women being portrayed as nothing but pawns and possessions. The women on the show are ultimately there for the guy to choose. They aren't on TV to compete for an impressive title or achievement. There single reason for being on the show is to compete for a guy in order to receive his approval. And I don't agree with that.
In addition, I don't agree with the idea that women have to fight for a man. To me, "The Bachelor" seems like a way to tear down relationships between women and further ingrain the stereotype that women have to fight with each other for male attention. While "The Bachelorette" does a decent job of turning this popular stereotype on its head, the producers still spin love as a war, with the strongest, most attractive individual getting the final rose and, ultimately, the person that they want. And that seems like a perversion of love to me.
Granted, I have never seen the show. I might be completely wrong about it. But I don't think that a reality-TV show about a guy choosing a girlfriend should be the world's expectation or reality of love. Love is so much more, and TV shows such as "The Bachelor" are only perpetuating existing stereotypes instead of breaking them apart.
